Romans 4 | Strong's Bible

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CHAPTER 4

What

then

shall we say

that Abraham,

our

forefather,

has discovered?

If

Abraham

was indeed justified

by

works,

he had

something to boast about,

but

not

before

God.

For

what

does the

Scripture

say?

“Abraham

believed

God,

and

it was credited

to him

as

righteousness.”

Now

the

wages

of

the worker

are not credited

as

a gift,

but

as

an obligation.

However,

to the one who

does not work,

but

believes

in

Him who

justifies

the

wicked,

his

faith

is credited

as

righteousness.

And

David

speaks

likewise

of the

blessedness

of the

man

to whom

God

credits

righteousness

apart from

works:

“Blessed

are they whose

iniquities

are forgiven,

whose

sins

are covered.

Blessed is

the man

whose sin

the Lord

will never count

against him.”

Is this

blessing

only

on

the

circumcised,

or

also

on

the

uncircumcised?

We have been saying

that

Abraham’s

faith

was credited

as

righteousness.

In what context

was it credited?

Was it after

his circumcision,

or

before?

It was not

after,

but

before.

And

he received

the sign

of circumcision

as a seal

of the

righteousness

that he had

by

faith

while

he was still uncircumcised.

So then,

he

is

the father

of all

who

believe

but

are not circumcised,

in order that

righteousness

might be credited

to them.

And

he is also the father

of the circumcised

who

not

only

are circumcised,

but

who

also

walk

in the

footsteps

of the

faith

that

our

father

Abraham

had before he was circumcised.

For

it was not

through

the Law

that Abraham

and

his

descendants

were promised

that

he

would be

heir

of the world,

but

through

the righteousness

that comes by faith.

For

if

those

who live by

the Law

are heirs,

faith

is useless

and

the

promise

is worthless,

because

the

Law

brings

wrath.

And

where

there is

no

law,

there is no

transgression.

Therefore,

the promise comes

by

faith,

so that

it

may rest on

grace

and may be

guaranteed

to all

Abraham’s

offspring—

not

only

to those who are

of

the

Law,

but

also

to those who are

of

the faith

of Abraham.

He

is

the father

of us

all.

As

it is written:

“I have made

you

a father

of many

nations.”

He is our father in the presence of

God,

in whom

he believed,

the God who

gives life

to the

dead

and

calls

into being

what

does not

yet

exist.

Against

all hope,

Abraham

in

hope

believed

and so

became

the father

of many

nations,

just as

he had been told,

“So

shall your

offspring

be.”

Without

weakening

in his

faith,

he acknowledged

the

decrepitness

of his

body

(since he was

about

a hundred years old)

and

the

lifelessness

of Sarah’s

womb.

Yet

he did not waver

through disbelief

in

the

promise

of God,

but

was strengthened

in his

faith

and gave

glory

to God,

being fully persuaded that

God was

able

to do

what

He had promised.

That is why

“it was credited

to him

as

righteousness.”

Now

the words

“it was credited

to him”

were written

not

only

for

Abraham,

but

also

for

us,

to whom

righteousness will be credited—

for us who

believe

in

Him who

raised

Jesus

our

Lord

from

the dead.

He

was delivered over to death

for

our

trespasses

and

was raised to life

for

our

justification.

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